[blindza] Re: Fw: York Street made more disabled friendly
- From: "Jacob Kruger" <jacobk@xxxxxxxxxxxxxx>
- To: <blindza@xxxxxxxxxxxxx>
- Date: Mon, 18 Jul 2011 17:06:54 +0200
No idea - last time was there was in 2005, and it seemed like, I suppose a
small city then already.
Stay well
Jacob Kruger
Blind Biker
Skype: BlindZA
'...fate had broken his body, but not his spirit...'
----- Original Message -----
From: Boshoff, Deon (GP Health)
To: blindza@xxxxxxxxxxxxx
Sent: Monday, July 18, 2011 5:43 AM
Subject: [blindza] Re: Fw: York Street made more disabled friendly
Ah, that's the town in which I grew up. Is it a city now?
Deon [G. Boshoff, BA[Stell]UDC[Potch]
WESKOPPIES HOSPITAL
Tel: 0123199735
Mobile: 0829699571
Fax: 0123277076
Bleeper: 0123199820, code 0002
E-mail:
Deon.boshoff@xxxxxxxxxxxxxx <mailto:Deon.boshoff@xxxxxxxxxxxxxx>
or; 0829699571@xxxxxxxxxxxxxx
-----Original Message-----
From: blindza-bounce@xxxxxxxxxxxxx [mailto:blindza-bounce@xxxxxxxxxxxxx]On
Behalf Of Jacob Kruger
Sent: 15 July 2011 07:56 AM
To: BlindZA
Subject: [blindza] Fw: York Street made more disabled friendly
Nice that a local city/town is doing something like this.
Jacob Kruger
Blind Biker
Skype: BlindZA
'...fate had broken his body, but not his spirit...'
----- Original Message -----
York Street made more disabled friendly
00:00 (GMT+2), Thu, 14 July 2011
Jacques Quinot at one of the improved ramps for wheelchairs.
GEORGE NUUS - Richard Albertse, a blind citizen of George, welcomed the
municipality’s efforts to make York Street safer and more accessible for
disabled people.
The street is being trenched at a number of intersections where the
engineering department is renovating old ramps and creating new ones in some
places to facilitate the manoeuvring of wheelchairs. Blind people will also
benefit from the installation of an audio tactile pedestrian system at the
York and Market Street intersection.
Crossing a busy street is only one of many challenges Albertse faces daily
as a blind person. He goes through several intersections in York Street when
he walks from home in Fichat Street to Absa’s main branch where he works.
The busiest intersection is at Market Street. Albertse says he listens to
the movement of the traffic to determine when he can cross a street safely.
With the new pedestrian system an oversized knob fastened to the pole of the
traffic light is pressed to call for a walk cycle. A buzzer goes off to
indicate when a walk cycle begins and it is safe to proceed.
Long way to to
According to Jacques Quinot, the engineer heading up the project, council
allocated R300 000 on the 2010/11 budget for the purpose of converting
infrastructure to be more disabled friendly. "These are the funds that we
are currently spending. We have a long way to go, though, and we want to
roll out the project on all our main routes, including Courtenay Street and
Knysna, Sandkraal and Beach Road. It will take at least 10 years to bring
these streets up to a proper standard, but we have made a start. We would of
course like to implement these changes in all areas, but funds are limited."
Esther Watson, organiser of the annual Outeniqua Chair Challenge in George,
lauded the engineering department and council for their efforts. "Athletes
in the OCC have long been complimenting George for being a disabled friendly
city. It is absolutely fantastic that council has started putting money
aside on their budget for improving access. These kinds of changes also
benefit mothers with children in prams and our senior citizens," she said.
Xolile Skalika (left) and Lonwabo Toto are some of the construction workers
responsible for creating easier access for disabled people using York
Street.
ARTICLE AND PHOTOS: ALIDA DE BEER, GEORGE HERALD JOURNALIST
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